The present invention relates to a command interface for use in an icon-driven computer interface in which an operator enters textual parameter data to control operation of a selected application or other computer software element.
Graphical user interfaces (“GUIs”) have simplified operation of computer devices and, particularly, general purpose computers over the past several years. When compared with textual command systems, for example, Microsoft MS-DOS and others, GUIs provide an intuitive system for computer interaction that involves substantially less operator training. One such GUI represents computer applications, user data and network resources as icons, which are displayed in various workspaces maintained by the computer. To interact with an application, data or resource, an operator typically points on its corresponding icon using an input device such as a mouse and clicks upon it using a command button. An operating system of the computer identifies from the position of a pointing cursor and the command button actions one of set of possible commands and invokes functionality that is associated with the command. These ‘point and click’ techniques are used throughout modern computer systems.
While icon-based interfaces are intuitive and provide a convenient interface particularly for unsophisticated operators, they have some disadvantages. There are a limited number of commands that may be performed on an icon. Conventionally, the computer system interprets a single click of a primary command button on the icon as a command to select the icon. The computer system interprets a ‘double-click’ upon an icon (a pair of clicks entered in quick succession) as a command to open the corresponding application, data or resource. The computer system interprets a ‘right-click’ upon the icon (typically, a click of a secondary button on a mouse) as a command to display a context menu of a limited number of predetermined commands. If an operator selects one of the entries from the context menu, the operating system invokes functionality associated therewith. In all of these techniques, however, there is a limited set of commands that can be entered through the icon. All the commands are predetermined—they cannot be altered by an operator.
Several applications are designed to execute in a variety of modes to execute differently when so commanded via ‘command line parameters’ that are entered by operators when starting execution of an application. Sophisticated computer users may use these command parameters to tailor the operation of these applications to their needs. Traditional icon-driven interfaces, however, provide no mechanism to permit an operator to enter command parameters via an icon. Command parameters must be entered via a traditional text-based prompt but they incur sizable overhead because operators typically must navigate the computer's file structure to find the desired application. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a mechanism that permits an operator to enter command line parameters in icon-driven interfaces, when opening applications.